ORGAN RECITAL THOMAS OSPITAL

Playing the organ demands not only virtuosity, but full-body involvement: in addition to the keys, the pedals have to be played with one’s feet. Thomas Ospital, originally from the French Basque Country, has mastered this art like few others. Born in 1990, he has been the titular organist at the great organ of Saint-Eustache in Paris since 2015. He calls artists playing the organ adventurers, since they always have to adjust to new instruments and new spaces – usually with very little time. These frequent encounters with unfamiliar terrain leave no room for routine, according to Ospital, but rather open up the possibility of reinventing oneself continuously and developing one’s playing further. For his concert on the legendary Silbermann organ in Freiberg, the Frenchman has chosen works by Johann Sebastian Bach and François Couperin, two masters of their field, and thus he also builds an attractive musical bridge between his homeland and the German music tradition.

THOMAS OSPITAL ORGAN

Johann Sebastian Bach Prelude and Fugue in E-major BWV 566, Sonata No. 2 in C-minor BWV 526 and Concerto for Organ in D-minor after Antonio Vivaldi BWV 596
François Couperin Gloria and »Offertoire sur les grands jeux« from the »Messe à l’usage ordinaire des paroisses«

TRIP TO FREIBERG

In 1714, Gottfried Silbermann completed his first great work, the organ at the Freiberg Cathedral with its 44 registers. Hardly altered over the course of centuries and thus still in its original state, it is considered the most famous baroque organ in the world today.

All concertgoers who wish to learn more about the legendary Silbermann organ can combine the organ recital with this fascinating excursion in the footsteps of the famous organ-builder.

The total price of the excursion (77 €) includes all the services listed (except lunch).

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